Plot Mapping
by volian
Summary: If Tamaki wanted to up the ante, Hikaru would willingly follow. Multichaptered, KaoruHikaru, TamakiHaruhi. [1 of 5]


PLOT MAPPING  
_fanfic by volly  
ouran high school host club (c) bisco hatori_

...

1. EXPOSITION

There was a strange sense of anticipation that stifled the Third Music Room, even as the windows were thrown open to tempt in the chilly autumn breezes. Kaoru glanced up briefly to the clock. Technically, the Host Club should have started, but it would still be a while before their customers came swarming through the doors, deprived of Moe all summer and ravenous for their favorite Host's affections. He allowed himself a sigh--the only sound in the room other than the tapping of Tamaki's foot and the scratching of Kyoya's pen against paper--and slouched over on the couch, cushioning his cheek on Hikaru's shoulder, eyelids drifting half-shut as if he was bored out of his mind.

The large and ornate room felt oddly empty, which was unnerving. It was probably because of Honey and Mori's absence. They had graduated with high honors last year and were accepted into a prestigious university not far away. They'd promised to visit and attend Host Club meetings whenever they had time, but everybody understood how busy college schedules could be and no one blamed the two for not showing up to the first Host Club meeting of the new school year.

He felt his twin's fingers twine gently into his hair, combing through the russet locks idly, like one would pet a long-furred cat. It was a gentle gesture that almost made Kaoru want to purr. Hikaru gazed out the large windows to the flawless blue sky beyond, but let his gaze flicker back to the double-doors from time to time. Tamaki was less discreet, and he slumped limply over the back of the sofa, eyes fixed on the doorway, lips curled into the pout he used almost exclusively in his corner of woe. Kyoya, meanwhile, was sitting further off from the other three club members, contenting himself by jotting down his ever-mysterious notes in his ever-present clipboard.

Hikaru was the first to break the uneasy silence. "Do you think she'll come?"

"How could you say that?" Tamaki sputtered. "Of course she'll come! She loves her family, doesn't she? She's just a little late, is all! Like always!"

"In actuality," Kyoya's quiet voice spoke up, effectively cutting short his friend's increasingly agitated rant, "her debt has been paid off in full last year. Technically, her tenure as a Host is over and Club attendance is no longer mandatory."

"And she's been avoiding us all summer," Kaoru added softly.

It was true. Nobody really knew how she pulled it off, but they assumed that she'd learned her lesson from the Karuizawa incident and took a few more precautions to cover her tracks. All the Host Club knew was that she was out of town, but not even Kyoya could get her father to divulge more information. Interestingly enough, it was Tamaki who finally stopped the search, convinced that she just wanted a peaceful Host-free summer for once and that the club should respect her privacy. It was the last time anyone had expected their over-affectionate king to say, and no one forgot the somber expression on his face, the disappointed look in his eyes as he walked away.

The twins had been quite perturbed by the absence of their favorite toy, but they managed to amuse themselves by taking the trip to Bali they'd neglected last year. It'd been fun, touring the foreign cities, just the two of them, like summers previous their entry into the club. But they both missed their friends, to the extent that they were actually quite happy to return to school. It was puzzling, Kaoru mused, but for all its shortcoming and fights and constant other annoyances, the Host Club had a way of crawling under their skins.

It was like magic, but the type of dying spell that would eventually morph a carriage back into a lowly pumpkin. It had weakened with the absence of ever-sunny Honey and ever-stoic Mori. Kaoru could see the long, spidery cracks running through the coach's surface. It existed in the strained atmosphere of the usually-cheerful music room and the sad slope of Tamaki's mouth, and Kaoru couldn't help but wonder how much longer could their delicate little fairy tale last.

"She told me, though," Tamaki muttered under his breath, a slightly wistful look on his face, "She told me she liked hosting..." he let his voice drift off, but his whole body seemed to perk up and he sat up straighter on the sofa. Hikaru cocked his head to one side so that his long bangs tickled Kaoru's cheek, and Kyoya paused in his writing.

There was the sound of footsteps growing steadily louder as it approached the music room, the kind of noisy, graceless, thumping steps only an uneducated commoner would take in a school where princesses walked as lightly and gingerly as birds. A moment later and the sound stopped, to be replaced by the click of the doors as they swung open to reveal one very disheveled-looking Fujioka Haruhi, breathing heavily, clutching her heavy book bags, hair mussed and cheeks a bright, burning pink.

"Sorry I'm late! I lost track of--"

She didn't have a chance to finish, however, when Tamaki flung himself on her, bowling the small girl over with a shrill cry of "Haruhi!" and sending her precious textbooks flying. The twins weren't far behind, however, and they eagerly joined in their king's bear hug. Kyoya adjusted his glasses slightly and cautiously approached the dog pile, poking at the prone body at the very bottom with a toe.

"About time, Haruhi, I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever show up."

She could only gasp a feeble "Help me," in reply. The shadow king gave a low chuckle before forcibly pulling the four-way hug apart, though it was particularly difficult to pry Tamaki off long enough to allow Haruhi to pick herself off the ground. In any case, the Frenchman simply reattached himself to the girl again, eyes glimmering dramatically with unshed tears.

"Never scare daddy like that again!" he whimpered, nuzzling into Haruhi's dark hair. The cross dressing girl scowled and attempted to loosen the bone-crushing grip around her waist.

"Ow! Leggo! I'm not going anywhere!"

"Promise?"

"Yes! Do you really think I'll leave an idiot like you alone?" She stared pleadingly at the twins for help, but they only smirked back at her, crossing their arms in unison and heaving theatrical sighs.

"Well, that's just what you did all summer, so--"

"--don't you think you rather deserve this?"

Haruhi reddened, tugged at Tamaki's arms a bit more, and finally gave up. She sank to the floor with a scowl, running one hand through her hair in exasperation and making a mental note to herself to come early next time. Kaoru beamed--it felt just like old times again. Tamaki busy annoying Haruhi, Haruhi busy being annoyed by Tamaki, Kyoya continuing his notes but with a more self-satisfied smile on his face. Hikaru hooked an arm around his twin's neck and tugged him into a cozy half-hug. Kaoru leaned contentedly into his brother's body and allowed a wide grin to stretch his lips, feeling happier than he had for a long time.

Maybe the carriage would continue trundling along in its own crooked little way, if only for a little while.

...

_author's notes_ - just a twincesty post-series fic, with some tamaki/haruhi thrown in 'cos that's my ouran het otp. :D someone ask me whyyy am i making another ouran multichapter fic again?

reviews make for faster updates. -shamelesshint- 


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